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The Very Thought of You
by
Lynn Kurland
historical fiction, paranormal romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on June 1, 2001 and has 422 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Love Came Just in Time, Tapestry, Stardust of Yesterday, One Enchanted Evening, One Magic Moment, From This Moment On, Spellweaver, Gift of Magic, All For You, Roses in Moonlight, Dreams of Lilacs, Ever My Love, A Tapestry of Spells, Star of the Morning, The Mage’s Daughter, Princess of the Sword, Dreamspinner, River of Dreams, Dreamer's Daughter, A Dance Through Time, This is All I Ask, Another Chance to Dream, My Heart Stood Still, If I Had You
Second in the MacLeod Family historical paranormal romance science fiction genre series and revolving around members of Jamie MacLeod’s family. (It’s sixth in the combined DePiaget/MacLeod series.) The couple focus is on Alexander Smith and Margaret of Falconberg.
My Take
Time travel. I’ve always thought it would be cool to go far back in the past and then fast forward and see how the earth changes — like a flipbook . . . Alexander certainly thinks time travel would be fun, as he heads for a faery circle for his own adventure.
This was a fun story with some drama and some tension. For the most part, I suspect it would be a good beach read.
The characters are, okay, mellow isn’t the right word. Ralf and a few others are the only bad guys; most of the others are quite honorable.
Margaret is something else. She would fit right in with today’s women. She’s strong. She’s determined. And Alex’s courtship is a treat. He makes some missteps — he is a man and one from the future.
”’Tis my experience that a body cannot come home until his task in the past is finished.”
I do feel for Margaret, as she does not fit in with her time period. Her tenants and vassals are so very uncooperative. As for “Lady” Lydia and her women, jesus, what a bunch of vicious cats.
It helps that Kurland uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Alex’s and Margaret’s perspectives, so we experience everything they think, feel, and experience with a wee touch of global subjective when Lord Odo and a few others react to the moans and groans from Alex and Margaret’s marriage bed — and wait’ll you discover what really causes them *more laughter*.
Alex has a better chance than most at surviving medieval England, as Jamie is his brother-in-law. No one can escape swordplay at the MacLeods. Alex also has a better sensibility about marriage and partnership than any other in medieval England. It’s a shocker for Margaret.
Kurland has Jamie making an interesting point about Jamie’s tie to the gates. It’ll be interesting to see how this theory works out in future stories.
There are a few customs that Kurland has fun with. Medieval bathing was one!? Poor Margaret has to cope with windows, cars, books, TV, stairs, and a modern kitchen — all of which leads to great guilt.
The action keeps moving along and Alex will have some great memories as he witnesses history in the making.
The Story
An enemy, Ralf de Brackwald talks Prince John into giving him Margaret of Falconberg as wife. A deal that Margaret will resist with everything in her.
Alex is considering a family, starting one. He was rich, owned half of Jamie’s Lear, and could cook. Still he does hanker after an adventure, in Barbados, where the sun is warm and the women are almost naked . . .
The Characters
1998
Alexander Smith is a lawyer who intended to save the world but became a pirate doing corporate raiding. Beast is his horse. Zachary is Alex’s slob of a brother. Robert Smith, their father, is a pediatrician, and he has three other brothers besides his sister.
Elizabeth, Alex’s sister, is married to Jamie MacLeod (A Dance Through Time, 1), and they have a son, Ian. Patrick MacLeod is Jamie’s younger brother. Jessie had been Jamie’s son in his distant past. Megan had been Jesse’s wife. Joshua MacLeod is Jamie’s minstrel. And good at desserts.
Antony “Tony” DiSalvo is a corporate raider who employed a fresh-faced Alexander Smith. Roddy MacLeod keeps an inn.
1194, medieval England
The tall Margaret of Falconberg rules, keeping William of Falconberg’s, her father’s, death secret for ten years. She had three brothers who all died. Because she’s a woman, her peers won’t help her, although she can defeat any in Odo’s tournaments. Which is part of her problem. Sir George, formerly of York, is her captain; Sir Henry of Blythe is his second-in-command. Timothy is her page. The daft Baldric is her bard. Alice and Frances are maids (whom Kurland confuses when we first meet Alice). Master Jacob is a healer. Joel, an orphaned kitchen lad, becomes Alex’s squire. Amery is a toddler who belongs to Brackwald.
The bold Edward of Brackwald encounters Alex out of the time gate. A raider, he helps himself to Margaret’s sheep. The vicious, brutal Ralf de Brackwald, his brother, prefers to attack Margaret with insults and petty thievery. Haslett is a scribe. Sir Walter of Brackwald is a comrade-in-arms of Edward’s.
Lord Odo of Tickhill will hold a tourney. Lydia is his yippy wife. Prince John rules England while King Richard is held for ransom by Leopold. Queen Eleanor is Richard and John’s mother.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a pale pink background with a tapestry border at top and bottom, taken from the leafy tapestry with a lion rampant in the center that hangs to the right below the author’s name and to the right of the title, which are both in a script font. The author’s name is at the top in a purplish blue with an info blurb in black to the right. Below her name is a testimonial in black. Below this is the title in the same purplish blue.
The title is what’s in Alex’s and Margaret’s minds, for The Very Thought of You is what drives them.
